Kalyan Minaret

The ancient Kalyan minaret (which translates as "Great") is the main symbol of the holy city of Uzbekistan — Bukhara. The historical center of Bukhara is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

The Kalyan Minaret is part of the central architectural ensemble of Bukhara — Poi Kalyan ("Foot of the Great"), including the Kalyan Cathedral Mosque (XV-XVI centuries), as well as the Miri Arab Madrasah (XVI century).

The Kalyan Minaret is the tallest tower in Bukhara, with a height of 46 meters. The diameter of the tower at the base is 9 meters, at the top — 6 meters.

History

The minaret was built in 1127, when Bukhara was part of the Karakhanid state. The construction was initiated by the ruler of the Karakhanid dynasty, Arslan Khan Muhammad, who ruled for more than 25 years and is known for his urban planning activities. Earlier, the first minaret of Bukhara was located on this site, much smaller in height, built in 918-919 and dismantled in 1120. The Kalyan minaret was built by an architect named Bako, whose name is immortalized on the cornice of the building. According to legend, before him, many craftsmen tried to build a tower of unprecedented height at that time, but it invariably collapsed, and only Bako managed to complete the ambitious construction — a real skyscraper by the standards of that time!

The construction of such a high minaret had several goals.

The main one, of course, is religious: the Kalyan minaret, from the height of which the muezzin called Muslim believers to prayer at the mosque of the same name, amazed the imagination of contemporaries, glorifying the Islamic faith with its grandeur and height.

In addition, there was a period in history when the tower was used as an instrument of execution of convicts: they were thrown from its top, therefore another name of the minaret is also known — "Tower of Death".

In addition, the goals of information and surveillance were important for the rulers of the city — the observation deck of the minaret provided a very long-range patrol, served as a beacon for those lost in the desert.

Due to the fact that the tower was built extremely beautifully and harmoniously, it became the architectural dominant of the city. Subsequently, when the general ensemble of the square was being formed in the 16th century, it was the Kalyan minaret that became the model for newly erected buildings.

An interesting fact is that the buildings of the Poi-Kalyan ensemble were built at different times. The date of construction of the Kalyan Mosque, the main cathedral mosque of Bukhara, is considered to be 1514. It was built on the site of the previously defunct cathedral Friday mosque of Bukhara of the 12th century. The Miri Arab Madrasah, which completes the ensemble, was built in 1535-1536.

Despite the fact that the minaret is almost 9 centuries old, it has never been destroyed, even the devastating wars in this territory and its conquest by Genghis Khan did not seriously affect the landmark.

According to legend, when the great Genghis Khan entered the square and looked up at the minaret, his helmet fell off his head. He had to bend down to pick it up from the ground. "I have never bowed to anyone," said the powerful warrior. "But this building is so grand that it deserves a bow." So the minaret was saved and remained unharmed.

The facility was reconstructed several times: for example, the upper part of the Kalyan minaret was damaged during the Civil War: during the bombing of Bukhara by the Red Army in 1920, it was hit by a shell. The reconstruction of the tower was carried out already in 1923: the crowning cornice was restored by the Bukhara master Abdukadyr Bakiyev.

In 1960, Mikhail Bobomurodov repaired and reinforced the underground part of the minaret, where the foundation and the base of the minaret are located. In 1976, during a major earthquake, the western part of the repair cornice collapsed and was rebuilt in 1980.

The largest reconstruction took place in 1997. To celebrate the 2,500th anniversary of Bukhara, the minaret was thoroughly reconstructed and restored.